Georg August Friedrich Hermann Schulz (9 October 1893 – 25 September 1946), better known as Heinrich George (), was a German stage and film actor.

Career

Weimar Republic

George is noted for having spooked the young

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a ...

in his first directing job, a production of Arnolt Bronnen's ''Parricide'' (1922), when he refused to continue working with the director. He appeared in

Fritz Lang Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), known as Fritz Lang, was an Austrian film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary ''Variety'', August 4, 1976, p. 6 ...

's ''

Metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big c ...

'' (1927) and '' Dreyfus'' (1930), as well as starring in ''

Berlin Alexanderplatz ''Berlin Alexanderplatz'' () is a 1929 novel by Alfred Döblin. It is considered one of the most important and innovative works of the Weimar Republic. In a 2002 poll of 100 noted writers the book was named among the top 100 books of all time. ...

'' (1931). George was an active member of the

Communist party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of '' The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. ...

during the Weimar Republic. He worked with theatre director Erwin Piscator and playwright

, both of whom identified with the political left. Bundesarchiv Bild 183-H09160, Heinrich George

On 12 October 1932, he changed his legal name to his stage name ''George''. (NB. This document documents ''Georg August Friedrich Hermann Schulz''s birthday on 1893-10-09, as well as the change of his legal name from ''Schulz'' to ''George'' on 12 October 1932.)

Nazi era

After the Nazi takeover, George was classified as a "non-desirable" actor at first because of his earlier political affiliations and was thus barred from working in cinematic productions. However, he was eventually able to reach an accommodation with the Nazi regime. In 1937, George was designated as a ''

Staatsschauspieler The term state actor (in German: ''Staatsschauspieler'') has had different meanings in recent German history. In Nazi Germany, it was the highest title that could be awarded to a stage actor. Since 1945, the meaning has changed. In Baden-Württemb ...

'' (i.e. an actor of national importance) and in 1938 was appointed director of the Schiller Theater in Berlin. George actively collaborated with the Nazis and agreed to star in Nazi propaganda films such as '' Hitler Youth Quex'' (1933), '' Jud Süß'' (1940), and '' Kolberg'' (1945) as well as appearing in numerous newsreels. George had a stocky build and a Berlin accent which made him readily recognizable to German audiences. George's prestige as a leading actor of the day made him an "extraordinarily valuable catch for the Nazis." Cooke and Silberman describe him as "the actor most closely tied with fascist fantasies of the autocratic and the populist leader".

Postwar

Although Heinrich George had been a member of the

Communist Party of Germany The Communist Party of Germany (german: Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands, , KPD ) was a major political party in the Weimar Republic between 1918 and 1933, an underground resistance movement in Nazi Germany, and a minor party in West German ...

before the Nazi takeover, he was nonetheless interned as a Nazi collaborator by Soviet occupying forces at the NKVD special camp Nr. 7 in Sachsenhausen where he died in 1946. The cause of his death was starvation, even though official reports stated that he died "after an

appendix Appendix, or its plural form appendices, may refer to: __NOTOC__ In documents * Addendum, an addition made to a document by its author after its initial printing or publication * Bibliography, a systematic list of books and other works * Index (pub ...

operation".

Personal life

Heinrich George married the German actress Berta Drews. They had two sons: Jan George and actor

Götz George Götz George (; 23 July 1938 – 19 June 2016) was a German actor, the son of actor couple Berta Drews and Heinrich George. His arguably best-known role is that of Duisburg detective Horst Schimanski in the TV crime series ''Tatort''. Early ...

Filmography

References

External links

*
Virtual History - Bibliography and Tobacco cards
{{DEFAULTSORT:George, Heinrich 1893 births 1946 deaths Actors from Szczecin People from the Province of Pomerania German male film actors German male silent film actors German male stage actors People who died in NKVD special camp Nr. 7 Deaths by starvation 20th-century German male actors